The long-range shooting market has never been bigger. More rifles, optics, cartridges, and projectiles exist for this task than we’ve ever had. And as I’ve said before, we may be living in the Golden Age of factory ammunition. It’s better than it has ever been, with a wide array of choices. But, and it’s a big but, there are times when handloads will outshine the factory stuff, and that’s usually beyond 1,000 yards. Let’s look at what it takes to produce the best ammunition for extreme long-range shooting.
In the world of extreme distance shooting, precision components and adherence to ultra-tight tolerances are paramount. When you’re taking shots out to the one-mile mark or more, every little variation can have a significant effect. The high ballistic coefficient bullets will retain their energy best and offer superior resistance to wind deflection. Handloading allows you to use such bullets in your loads.
BALLISTIC COEFFICIENT
The bullet manufacturers’ ballistic coefficient values are expressed in either the G1 or G7 model to represent how the projectile resists atmospheric drag. The BC values are unitless and are
